The Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable MP has recalled how university bosses were ‘full of abuse’ when he tried to rein in their escalating salaries.

As secretary of state for business, innovation and skills in the coalition government (2010-15) Sir Vince was responsible for universities, whose vice-chancellors have an average salary outstripping the Prime Minister’s by £125,000.

Over the weekend he visited our city, which has two universities with vice-chancellors who have attracted negative attention nationally around their pay. University of Bath leader Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell announced her retirement after a string of bumper pay rises to some £470,000 while Bath Spa University’s former vice-chancellor Professor Christina Slade earned £808,000 in her final year, including a £429,000 loss of office compensation payment.

Professor Christina Slade and Dame Glynis Breakwell have both come under fire for their salaries as vice-chancellors of Bath universities

As well as sharing the insight Sir Vince praised ‘outstandingly good’ Bath MP Wera Hobhouse who he joined in Green Park Station at an annual Lib Dem dinner with party members and activists.

Mrs Hobhouse, elected in June as Bath’s first woman MP with a majority of nearly 6,000 votes, has previously spoken out about vice-chancellor pay.

She said of universities: “They are neither public bodies regulated by the state nor are they private companies that are responsible to shareholders. They’re charities and the setting of the pay is something that’s become very, very controversial.

“Self-restraint is one thing but in the absence as we’ve seen it, universities are struggling to come to a sense of a conclusion of what is it they should pay senior management staff.

Sir Vince added: “I’d be a bit ruder than that actually. I have vivid memories of the time I was responsible for universities as secretary of state.

“We had a lot of aggression from students but they were honest with us – they were rude to my face, they didn’t like what was happening and they said so.

“I went along and spoke to all the university vice-chancellors and said ‘Look, you people have got to exercise some restraint’.

“Students are taking a hit, we don’t want you putting your noses in the trough. And they were very polite, and then I discovered after lunch when I wasn’t there they were full of abuse: ‘Who’s this man telling us we shouldn’t put up our pay?’

“They did, and they’ve got a terrible reputation. They’ve undermined confidence in the independence of universities.

“I think they’ve done a lot of damage by showing lack of restraint and something’s got to change.”

Sir Vince Cable speaking to us in the Bath Chronicle offices (Image: paulgillisphoto.com)

But Sir Vince said if the Lib Dems gained power he would not seek to cut tuition fees from £9,250 which he described as a ‘populist measure’.

Instead, his party would create a fund for young people to spend on educational purposes of their choosing.

“The proposal I’m working on is that when young people turn 16, 18, they have an endowment, learning account, hopefully a generous one, a substantial pot of money in the bank that they can use whatever way they choose provided it’s educational,” he said.

“They could use it to set off against their fees, for training, for apprenticeships, for adult learning throughout their lives.

Read More

“That’s treating all young people on the same basis, as adults who can make sensible choices and I think that’s a far more sensible way of proceeding than some populist measure like cutting fees, the only consequence of which is to take money away from the universities and reduce the quality of their teaching.”

Of the Bath constituency, Sir Vince said he visited numerous times when Don Foster was the city’s MP between 1992 and 2015 and has promoted his books at Topping’s in The Paragon.

Liberal Democrat spokeswoman for communities, local government and refugees Wera Hobhouse MP and party leader Sir Vince Cable (Image: paulgillisphoto.com)

“This is one of the seats we won at the general election,” Sir Vince said. “It’s been a very successful campaign, a Lib Dem stronghold, outstandingly good MP, made a really good impression since she got into parliament.”

“We’ve traditionally had strongholds in Somerset and I’ve every expectation that will come back,” he added.

“It will take time but we’ve got a strong base in local government … and Wera, instead of being an island in an ocean she’ll be a part of the Lib Dem mainland in the West Country.”

Mrs Hobhouse said she visits Lib Dem constituency parties in the South West, such as Swindon and Exeter, regularly and that they’re ‘in good spirits’.

“I believe very much in what we call Lib Dems without boarders, so we campaign together and I think we’ll do well,” she said.

The Bath Chronicle runs a WhatsApp group to help you keep up to date with the latest news. If you'd like to receive news alerts, save the number 07939 497390 to your phone - we recommend saving the contact as 'Bath Chronicle News' - then send the word NEWS to us via WhatsApp. We will send you a maximum of four messages a day and your phone number won't be shared with other members of the group or used for any other purpose.